The field of the invention relates to a new and improved lock/release method and a self-locking/bi-directional, turn-release fixture. More specifically, the field relates to a bi-directional striker actuated release for such a locking fixture, and particularly to such a fixture that will release a locked device by a slight turn applied to the locked device in either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction.
The specific field of the invention as described herein relates to an environment of travel containers for a vehicle, but other environments such as spice racks, shipboard use holders, toys and the general latch/release field will equally benefit from the principles of this novel invention
In today""s society, our fast paced and hectic travel requirements, have made drinking coffee and other liquids in a vehicle an everyday occurrence. Every commuter has noticed, in an adjacent expressway lane, that his fellow commuter is drinking morning coffee on the way to work. Service and comfort stations, generally catering to such travel demands, display a wide variety of travelling containers. The particular lock/release fixture of this invention, while it is no means so limited, is described in such a travelling container environment.
A search was done and that search has disclosed a number of related references, some of marginal relevance, which will be discussed hereinafter. The references disclose a diverse number of method and apparatus for travel mugs and fixtures for holding same. Generally speaking, the search reveals that various designs of travel mugs and bases for use in a vehicle, together with some way for stabilizing a container in place on a base are well known. Additionally, some of the prior art seeks to provide structure aimed at preventing spillage.
None of the search references, however, demonstrate the integrated, novel features of this invention which provide a simple way to self lock a travel mug by placing the mug unto a mug-holding fixture, together with a simple release of that mug for removal from its locked position. A divided latch keeper pair is bi-directionally spring loaded for self latching and a spreadable release in either rotational direction.
The prior art developed by the search included the following patents:
Each of the patents will now be reviewed, taking the patents of the search in the order listed above:
Sadler shows two protruding ears located near the bottom of a mug in combination with a coin holder cap which fits over a base. An upstanding circular track receives a cup bottom and has located therein a pair of opposed tapered slots for engagement with the cup ears for holding the cup in place. Turning the cup frictionally holds the cup in place to prevent spillage. This reference discloses cup holding, but does not suggest a centrally located nut nor the split keeper latching and/or unlatching features of the present invention.
Allen et al discloses a funiary urn that is seated in cross-shaped uprights and is attached to a base by a central bolt 64. (Please see FIG. 4.) This airtight container is not for the same purpose and is clearly distinguishable from the present invention. Note in particular that there is no teaching, desire, nor need to turn about xe2x85x9th of a turnxe2x80x94right or leftxe2x80x94for unlocking purposes.
Campbell shows an adjustable circular base with upstanding velcro straps for holding a beverage container. Campbell also shows a base structure having hooks and elastic bands for attachment to a carpet or seat of a vehicle. Other than some superficial resemblance as to shape, this reference is not relevant to the structure or concepts of the present invention.
Lan discloses a suction cup base that provides a non-turnover support system for a cup, glass, etc. A flexible cupule 2 hooks with a series of containers 31 and 32 that receive an object 5 to be held. Both the structure and method of the present invention are markedly different than that disclosed by Lan. In particular, there is no teaching or suggestion in Lan of any form of self locking and/or unlocking by turning, much less any split striker latching operation for a bi-direction rotational release.
Thompson discloses a wedge shaped base to hold a drinking vessel upright on sloping seats. A notch and recess lock is shown in FIG. 8 of Thompson. This approach does not suggest a self locking/slight-turn-unlocking feature of the present invention.
Bridges shows a raised track 31, FIG. 4, having a guiding bead 32 on a base 33 for guiding the bottom of a cup 10 into a recess in base 33. The cup has an outer ring 21 near its bottom 34 as shown in FIG. 1. The purpose of the Bridges ring 21 and guide track 31 is to center a cup over the recess so that it can drop safely into that recess. This art, centered as it is on guiding for a free drop of the cup, does not teach or suggest any split striker keeper latching or self locking and/or unlocking by a small turn in either direction as provided by the present invention.
Persch discloses a bottle dispenser for specially shaped bottles 4 having a tapered foot 5. The Persch base 1 has two rotating disks with apertures in each, and these disks, or stars, as Persch calls them, form a locking device for grasping the bottle near the tapered foot of the bottle. A blind bore 25, pressure spring 27 and ball 26 stops the rotating stars in either a removal or locked position for the bottles.
Silberger discloses a conventional lazy susan type spice rack having a central spindle and two tiers for holding spices that can be rotated into position for easy handling. This reference is not relevant to the present invention.
These four design patents are mostly relevant for showing types of container designs that have been patented by others. None of them are particularly relevant to the structure of the present invention.
In my pending parent Application the Examiner did a search and found many of my claims allowable over the following references:
In summary, the conceptual approach underlying this invention relies upon different operating principles than those disclosed by the above listed art. A divided striker keeper is not disclosed nor is there any reliance in the art on turning a held object in order to initiate a desired release by use of a spring loaded divided keeper. None of the references teach or suggest that a bi-directional turn of a held object will cause cammed unloading of a latching spring in order to cause a pair of latch keeper halves to release a held object.
This invention provides a self latching, object-holding fixture that is designed to self latch. Further, it is designed to self release an object when the object is turned slightly in either rotational direction. The inventive fixture has a shaped housing with the object being held, having a mated opening of a similar matching shape. Placing the object and the matching housing together causes the object to become latched. Rotating the object in either direction through a limited arc causes the object to become unlatched.
The housing covers a spring holding base that is anchored to an external support surface by any suitable means (central bolt or by peripheral screws, for example).
A limited-arc rotatable casing covers that fixed-position base. Exposed spring-loaded keeper sections project from openings in the casing. The rotatable casing may have up to three or more pairs of independent spring compression cam surfaces located on its interior underside. One each of these rotating cam surfaces, depending upon the direction of rotation, serves to releasably disengage the object being held as the objectxe2x80x94and therefor the casingxe2x80x94is rotated by a user.
The fixture of the invention includes, on the fixed base, a mounting recess for anchoring a pair of spring-loaded striker keepers with an exposed downwardly inclined leading edge. A forward edge of the striker keepers projects through and slightly beyond a side opening in the casing. This striker, for self latching purposes, is adapted for back and forth sliding movement into and out of the casing when an object (such as a container, for example) is placed over the casing.
The split keepers, during a self-latching mode of operation, slide in concert inwardly as a unit; and, under urging of spring loading on the striker, automatically self lock an object in place. The surrounding casing, which houses the spring and striker mechanism, rotates in either direction on a fixed supporting base. Arc limiting stops in the form of shoulders in arcuate openings of a rotatable plate provide for limited-arc rotation of this housing. At these limit positions the previously held object is in an unlockedxe2x80x94or free-to-removexe2x80x94position.
Each keeper is split into two halves, and each half is adapted for movement in opposite and spreadable directions. These keepers are spring biased such that they may move apart and become concealed within the casingxe2x80x94as the casing is rotatedxe2x80x94so that the object is freely released from a locked position.
Keeper halves are moved in opposite directions by a cam that moves one halve away from the other as the casing turns. Thus, one keeper half of the pair is moved in response to a cam contact against one side of a figure-8 shaped latching spring. This cam is adapted to ride against and compress that keeper""s spring surface as the casing is rotated. A side opening in the casing, as the casing turns, conceals the other keeper halve. Thus, the keepersxe2x80x94in response to a casing rotation in either directionxe2x80x94unlocks the previously locked-in-place object.
In one embodiment the latching spring and split keeper pair are formed from a split flexible loop spring that has been turned back upon itself into a shape resembling a figure eight. This figure eight spring configuration has both a closed loop and a split loop section formed by an overlapping spring intersection. The closed loop is located in a fixed housing recess positioned toward the center of the casing, while the split loop section is located outboard near the casing periphery where the keeper pair are exposed beyond a forward edge of the side opening.
The fixed support base also includes an interior stop post that is located just beyond the intersection of the figure eight loops. That stop post both compresses the spring and positions two opposed bias spring arms with sufficient tension that the split keeper sections are normally biased together and compressibly held for unitary sliding movement during self locking. This stop post in one embodiment has a T shaped top for added support and strength. Direct or torque-causing loads on a latched object are strongly resisted by a transverse wing on the top of the stop post.
As the casing rotatesxe2x80x94via a latched object as turned by a userxe2x80x94one half of the figure eight spring collapses away from the stop post, and the other half is prevented from moving by the stop post. That other half is encompassed by the turned casing. In so doing, the locking spring tension has been sufficiently altered that the object is freely released from its formally locked position by the casing cam action described below.
The above-described spring collapse is caused by an interior casing cam which rides against one spring bias arm in a direction that tends to move the keeper pair apart, and concurrently moves the cammed keeper inwardly. Such casing and cam movement further moves the keeper sections apart as the arc of the rotation increases. When the spring has compressed sufficientlyxe2x80x94and the casing has rotated over the non-collapsing spring sectionxe2x80x94both keeper halves are fully concealed within the casing.
Accordingly, the locking striker edges are no longer in a position of contact with the striker plate, or puck, on the object and the object may be lifted free of the fixture nut. Upon so doing, the spring tension causes the casing to automatically rotate back to its starting position with keeper edges exposed so that the fixture is ready to again repeat the whole process.
As research continued on my inventionxe2x80x94and destructive tests on pre-production models were donexe2x80x94some plastic part breakage was experienced under extreme loads. I therefore developed a further embodiment of my invention that withstands those extreme loads without breakage.
I discovered that a side load on a held object was an adverse condition. Such a load (depending on the height of the object experiencing the load) caused a large moment arm force which might result in part breakage. This drawback was cured by T-shaped anti-torque stop pins having transverse wings at the top of the stop posts. Such posts are located directly on the mounting base. The keeper spring pairs were held under the wing of the stop pin and the breakage did not take place. However, this correctionxe2x80x94as more and more tests were donexe2x80x94revealed another problem relating to direct pulls on a latched object.
As larger pull loads were applied, such loads would deform and deflect the bottoms of the keeper pairs upward, and the mating edge of the puck downward, creating unintended sloping surfaces. These large load tests of direct pull on the latched object, combined with the above-noted deflected surfaces overcome the overlapped spring tension and force the striker keeper pairs open. Upon application of sufficient force the keepers withdrew into the casing and resulted in a premature release. A mating notch and ridge interlocks the keeper strikers and the casing openings, and that interlock solved the premature release problem.
Keeper interlocks on the strikers and casing openingsxe2x80x94one per keeper pairxe2x80x94take the form of mating recess and keeper ridges which become mutually engaged during a direct pull. Thus, a pair of raised ridges or teeth on the upper surface of a keeper pair engages with a matching mating recess in the underside of the top casing opening that houses the keeper pair. These interlocks serve an anti-spread function that prevent the keepers from spreading apart and/or retracting under high direct pull loads. Such spreading otherwise results in an undesired release. This refinement, though seemingly small in structure, has increased the load resistance of my invention several fold, and makes it a secure lock under dynamic load conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lock/release fixture that easily self-locks an object in place.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a releasable fixture which may be released by a slight turn in either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a self locking bi-directional lock/release fixture capable of safely and conveniently holding a drinking container in a vehicle for release by either a left or right handed passenger.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a pair of spring loaded, side-by-side locking/release keepers, which keepers are responsive to a rearward movement resulting from downward contact by a piece to be locked for automatically seizing the piece in a self-locked condition.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a pair of spring loaded, side-by-side locking/release keepers, which keepers are responsive to a cam follower movement and housing concealment for latch release.
It is another object of this invention to provide a self locking/turn release container that is adapted to hold a mug, bottle or can in a non-spillable condition in a vehicle.
It is yet another object of this invention to employ spring loaded divided latch keepers and a cam collapsed spring for release of an object being held.
It is still one further object of this invention to employ anti-spreading mating surfaces on a keeper pair to absorb greater direct pulls without experiencing any part breakage.
It is yet one further object of this invention to provide anti-torque wings on locking pins in order to absorb greater amounts of load applied to a held object.
It is a further object of this invention to locate a winged pin over latched keeper springs in order to absorb greater loads on a held object without experiencing part breakage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide ridged keeper pairs for additional locking against increased loads.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fitted notch in the casing to receive ridged keeper pairs for additional locking.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a fitted notch of limited width relative to keeper ridges which prevents spreading under load.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a keeper pair ridges, mating casing notches which prevent keeper retraction under load.